Text: Ephesians 4:1 - 16
OPEN:
We are engaged in a study designed to help each of us "unwrap our spiritual gifts." Keep in mind our Foundational Statement: “Ministering as a disciple of Christ calls for us to know our spiritual gifts because spiritual gifts are the basis for all ministry in the local church.” (Fowlkes)
Also, remember that there are three primary New Testament passages that deal with spiritual gifts:
Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 28; and Ephesians 4;11-16.
Another brief mention in 1 Peter 4:8-11.
And keep in mind our working definition:
"A spiritual gift is a unique capacity given by the Holy Spirit and given to every believer in Christ for ministry in a local church in order to cause the church to grow quantitatively (numerically), qualitatively (maturity), and organically (organization)" (J. Robert Clinton, 1973, p. 23).
Here's a quick reminder of five common denominators taken from the New Testament's teaching on spiritual gifts:
1. Every believer in Christ has one or more spiritual gifts, with each believer gifted to accomplish some necessary ministry in the church.
2. The gifts of the Spirit are varied and different.
3. The Holy Spirit determines the gifts we receive; we do not choose what gifts we have.
4. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the growth of the church.
5. God wants every disciple to know his or her spiritual gift(s) and to use it/them in ministry for Christ's glory.
In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul again discusses unity in the body of Christ and emphasizes that each believer receives grace according to Christ's choice (v.7). He then lists some of the gifted people God gave the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.
a) The purpose of these gifted persons is the edification of the
church.
b) They are to prepare God's people for service.
c) The pastoral staff is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry (v. 12) The result is
mature believers filled with the fullness of Christ, and a church that is the same.
We now move to listing and discussing individual gifts.
The study of spiritual gifts may be handled in a variety of ways. One way would be to study each gift independently. Another would be to examine the list in Romans, then Corinthians, then Ephesians, then the other gifts. I have chosen to divide our study into three categories, and look at the gifts in relation to other gifts by category. Also, the question must be asked if the specific lists are exclusive or representative. I see them as representative.
I. Gifts that Relate to Specific Roles in the Church.
In Ephesians 4, Paul gives a list of gifted people which he says are given
"to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up." These gifts in this category are primarily gifts which
enable other members of the body of Christ do their work.
1. Apostleship
We commonly think of the 12 Apostles of our Lord, those who had been chosen by Christ for a very specific purpose, as the apostles. The word apostle has a much broader meaning.
The word apostolos means "one who is sent." Frequently, we associate this with the word "missionary.
In Scripture there are people who are referred to as apostles who are not mentioned in the original twelve (Mt 10:2-4). Paul, Barnabus, James (the Lord's brother), Silas, and Timothy are all referred to as apostles.
There are warnings against false apostles (2 Co 11:13; Rev 2:2).
Therefore, we would conclude that the gift of apostleship continues today.
a. To understand the gift of apostleship, we need to examine the work of the apostles.
These people were sent by our Lord to preach the Good News of the Kingdom, to bring together new groups of believers, and to exercise some authority over them for a period of time.
b. In contrast to pastors, apostles take the Gospel to non-Christian peoples and successfully plant churches among them.
c. We can compare this gift with the work of modern-day church planters, particularly those who have responsibility for several such churches.
d. The new Christians look to him/her for everything they know about Christianity. This is a heavy responsibility.
2. Prophecy.
There is a common misconception that when one hears the word "prophet," that the speaker will tell you something about the future, something not presently known.
While prophets in Scripture did make some predictions, their prophecies dealt mainly with the present, illustrated by lessons from the past.
Prophecy has more to do with "forth-telling" than "fore-telling."
This gift implies the declaration of the Word of God with divine anointing and power.
a. It is the kind of proclamation that produces divine conviction within the hearts of those who hear.
b. Peter on the Day of Pentecost, when he quoted Joel 2:28-32, seemed to have this definition in mind. Following this proclamation, the result was conviction of sin (Acts 2:37).
c. True prophecy (1 Co 14) will edify and build up believers, encourage and impart life, console the people of God, and bring conviction to the sinner.
d. Prophecy is greatly needed today. This is God's chosen way to bring people face-to-face with His
truth.
e. In Scripture the prophet combined his declaration of the Word of the Lord with warnings. If the people failed to hear the Word of the Lord spoken through the prophet, judgment would follow.
- Jonah is a good example of a prophet to Gentile peoples.
- Hosea is an example of a prophet who called Israel to
repentance.
f. Prophets are usually unpopular with the people because they denounce in and call for repentance.
3. Evangelism
Evangelism means primarily to share good news.
All Christians are to be witnesses, but some people have a special ability to lead many others to faith in Christ.
They can speak to unconverted people, and God gives them remarkable success in seeing these people accept God's offer of salvation.
Often, these people do not recognize their ability to win souls as a gift, but think they are only exercising their Christian obligation to be a witness.
4. Shepherding
This pastoral gift is best called that of shepherding.
The one with this gift of shepherding assumes responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of people. She/he feeds them, guides them, and ministers to them much as a shepherd does to his sheep.
To help us understand this concept, we must keep in mind the Eastern model of a shepherd who is with his flock day and night.
A good shepherd protects his flock from evil and leads the, into good pastures.
She/He is concerned not only for physical well-being of the flock, but their spiritual well-being as well. In order to do this, the shepherd calls on the flock, spends time with them, gets to know them, guides and teaches them.
Each church needs more than one who has this gift. As a body of believers grows, the primary shepherd will spend more of her/his time training under-shepherds, enabling them to exercise their gifts so that the flock of God is truly cared for.
5. Teaching.
May be pastors-teachers, but we will consider it as a separate gift. Having said that, there is evidently a close relationship between shepherding and teaching.
Those with the gift of teaching make truths of the Christians faith live for others. The truth is understood and applied to life.
The one with this gift is able to bring clarity to things difficult to understand.
A good teacher is both content and learner-oriented. To stress content alone tends to be unrelated to the listener's life. To stress the learner's present situation without biblical foundation leads to superficiality.
The good teacher brings the two together in an exciting and relevant manner.
There is no discipleship apart from good teaching (Acts 2:42).
Teachers are a great gift to the church, and those who are gifted to teach should be teaching.
5. Missionary
The missionary gift, while not directly mentioned in a gift list in Scripture, was exercised effectively and clearly in the New Testament. Paul obviously had it, while Peter did not.
This gift is similar to that of apostleship, meaning someone sent from one church to minister to a different group of people. This person is responsible for preaching Christ where He was not known and for bringing into existence groups of believers.
The one with the gift of missionary is able to minister his/her other spiritual gifts in a cross-cultural situation. They can do this with ease and comfort.
II. Gifts that Support these Enabling Roles.
1. Encouragement (Exhortation).
Barnabus is perhaps our best scriptural example in regard to this gift. His name means "son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36).
The one possessing this gift is equipped for a ministry of calling forth the best in others.
This word in Greek comes from the same root as paraclete or comforter. It has the idea of going to another's aid and walking along side of him.
2. Wisdom
The gift of wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
The one with this gift can apply God' truth to a problem or need that is facing the body.
As Jesus promised the disciples that they would be given wisdom to answer when on trial (Lk 21:14-15), so the one with this gift receives divine insight for the specific situations facing the church.
3. Knowledge
Knowledge has to do with comprehension of facts, recognition of truth.
In the natural world, the scholar must have the natural ability to handle large amounts of information. In the spiritual realm there is need for those who bring divine insight to the Scripture. These are good with details of Scripture. Some of this comes through diligent study, but some of it comes as a gift from the Spirit.
The ones with this gift will be drawn to give themselves in study.
In comparing and contrasting knowledge and wisdom, knowledge has more to do with facts, data, insight. Wisdom then makes practical use of that knowledge in meeting a particular need or situation.
CLOSE:
“Ministering as a disciple of Christ calls for us to know our spiritual gifts because spiritual gifts are the basis for all ministry in the local church.”
(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)
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